JGross4
Premium Member
Hers's my new cleaning regiment...
(1) I do a 10 gallon water change every two weeks. I take a 1/2" hose and suck as much debris out of the tank as possible. I take special notice of the corners and under the rocks if i can reach. Sometimes swish the water around near the bottom of the rocks with hand in order to try to get debris out to suck up with the hose.
(2) I change my filter sock once every two weeks when I do my water change.
(3) I scrape all glass and backwall during the water change. I pay special attention to carefully scraping where the glass meets silicon. I've noticed if you keep these corners clean, it really gives the tank the new look many people are looking for. I also scrap the bottom of the tank. It really is no different than scraping the glass. However, planning in regards to you aquascape is very important. You have to leave enough room open to allow effective cleaning. In addition. the standard rough surface of the many overflows and filters is hard to keep clean. For these item I rely on a stiff brush to scrub the coralline and algae off.
(4) I Magfloat the glass clean every 3-4 days or as needed. Some noticeable algae growth can be seen between this period. However, I do not generally do not magfloat more often (unless I have company over) in an effort to disturb the corals near the glass as little as possible.
(5) I clean my skimmer cup once every 3-4 days. I clean my skimmer every 3-4 months.
(6) I clean my pumps with a stiff scrub brush every 3-4 months.
Key to Success
Consistency! If you stick to your cleaning regiment, then the coralline and algae will never have a chance to build up. However, everyone has times when they get busy and may stray away from there cleaning regiment. Although, with a little extra cleaning the next time around, you can almost always get the tank clean enough to get it back to the state it was before. It just takes a little extra effort!
(1) I do a 10 gallon water change every two weeks. I take a 1/2" hose and suck as much debris out of the tank as possible. I take special notice of the corners and under the rocks if i can reach. Sometimes swish the water around near the bottom of the rocks with hand in order to try to get debris out to suck up with the hose.
(2) I change my filter sock once every two weeks when I do my water change.
(3) I scrape all glass and backwall during the water change. I pay special attention to carefully scraping where the glass meets silicon. I've noticed if you keep these corners clean, it really gives the tank the new look many people are looking for. I also scrap the bottom of the tank. It really is no different than scraping the glass. However, planning in regards to you aquascape is very important. You have to leave enough room open to allow effective cleaning. In addition. the standard rough surface of the many overflows and filters is hard to keep clean. For these item I rely on a stiff brush to scrub the coralline and algae off.
(4) I Magfloat the glass clean every 3-4 days or as needed. Some noticeable algae growth can be seen between this period. However, I do not generally do not magfloat more often (unless I have company over) in an effort to disturb the corals near the glass as little as possible.
(5) I clean my skimmer cup once every 3-4 days. I clean my skimmer every 3-4 months.
(6) I clean my pumps with a stiff scrub brush every 3-4 months.
Key to Success
Consistency! If you stick to your cleaning regiment, then the coralline and algae will never have a chance to build up. However, everyone has times when they get busy and may stray away from there cleaning regiment. Although, with a little extra cleaning the next time around, you can almost always get the tank clean enough to get it back to the state it was before. It just takes a little extra effort!
